Method of preparing inner trim panels



A. J. JAROSIK METHOD OF PREPARING INNER TRIM PANELS Filed Sept. 28. 1936 M s O Dn A RJ. f mw we IR D N A l ORNEY5- May 7, y1940.

`llatented Mayl7, 1940 PATENT om-ce PANELS ,'ndrew J. jarosil.- Detroit, Mich., assignorto The f A Murray Corporation of America, Detroit, Michf a corporation of Delaware Application September 28, 1936-, Serial No. 102,971 ...wir I L j f t claim. (o1. 15a-2)'v` -'This inventionA relatesv to`- inner-trim panels. More" particularly it relates to a novel and improvedf method of manufacturing innerl trim' panels which serves to provide a construction 5:; having ornamental embossed surface decorations.y

It isa primary object o f the present invention to providea method for manufacti'iring inner trim panels which method-may be simply, con--` v venientlyl and cheaply practiced and which at 101 the same time results in the production of van g inner trim panel having a particularly attractive surface ornamentatiom 1It' has long been conventional to" manufacture inner trim panels including arelatively 'stiff card# 16; board backing sheet, a layer of non-Woven fibrous padding material, and to cover-thesame with a layer of fabric finish material which is tightly stretched over the padded surface'A ofthe backing' sheet.` l'I'he present inventionfcontemplates the m provision of a method'fwhich's'erves to provide vornamentation upon the finished surface of the trim panel in order to break` up the surface thereof and/provide attractive rbeaded orA other effectswhich serveto rendertheutrim panel as g5. a whole more attractive in appearance.

Many other and further?objects,l advantages and features of the present-invention will become n more clearly apparent fromfthejfollovvingv specif fication when considered in connectionwith the 3m accompanying drawing forming a part-thereof.-

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective'ViewY of an' inner trim panel for a vehicle door, constructed'in accordance ywith the method of the present invention.

Fig. 2'is a fragmentary sectional View through a die press utilized in the .practice yofthepresent method. f y 'l Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View' taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig, 1 illustratl to Fig. 5 illustrating la portion of a trimfpanel manufactured in accordance with a still further modified form of the invention,

*55H rWith more particular reference tothe Vdrawing', the trim panel construction disclosed in Fig-fy ure 1 illustrates a trim panel" primarily adapted for covering the lower surfacepf the left hand front door of a vehicle body.L vAs is conventional in construction of this general characterlthetrimf '5:2'

. panel is formedwith' the outer configuration substantially congruent to the'surface towhich it is to be appliedV and is provided-with a hole'l8` therethrough to permit the passage of tllewin-y dow regulator mechanism'and a second hole 19 1'0? adapted to accommodate the latch'mechan-ism 'of the door. The trim-panel`includes 'a backing sheet Ill which may be formed of cardboard or other suitable similar material and which vis Vblanked out to an exterior conguraticn substan- 15:

tially the same as the shape desired inthe'com- .plet'ed trim panel. I--`A`l sectionK4 of I noni-woven fibrous material II, composed of loosely 'felted `iute fibre is blanked out rto a form substantially securingy the padding material to'- the vbacking sheet throughout the surface thereof.' Itfis also possible `to dispense'with this adhesive and merely utilize the adhesive'mat'erial I2 for secur'ingthe 35, padding material to the` backingsheet.' ,After the padding material II hasl thus been securedA A.

inpositionv upon the backing sheet Ill strips'fof crepe paper I3 or other suitably similar material are pressed upon'the surface ofthe padded'back; 4'@ ing sheet throughout the area to which the relatively heavy coating of adhesive I2 has been applied. v The padded backing sheet isy then placed upon the bed I5 ofga press which press includes aram I6 vertically movable with respect 45 to the bed. A frame I1 is removably secured 'to the ram of thev press by means of a plurality of bolts I8 which frame serves to retain in position a die generally designated as I9. This die includes a plurality of blades 2B which project 50 downwardly to engage the surface ofthe paper I3 which has been place'd'over the adhesively secured areas of the padding material. As the ram of the press 'descends these blades 2U serve to deform p the padding material -to provide the desired orna- 55 mental effects. In the particular form of the invention illustrated in the drawing a pair of these blades are disposed in substantially parallel relation and they together serve to provide a pair of substantially parallel indentations in the padded material which form a bead or ridge 2l therebetween Which bead extends completely varound the trim panel ,and provides an attractive panelled effect. If desired, additional blades may be' provided in the die I9 serving to provide a rectangular bead 22 interiorly of the bead 2| or other blades may be disposed in anyl desired Imanner to provide the desired ornamental effects.

The blades 2B serve to press the padding material down into the relatively thickcoating of adhesive Which adhesive serves to retain the padding material in the forminto which it is pressed by means of the blades 2li.'A The covering paper I3 serves to prevent the padding material `from adhering to the blades of the press and'serves to aid in retaining the padding material in the form in which it is embossed by means o-f the press. The surface of the paper l3 may be sprayed with a light coating of adhesive prio-r to its applic-ation to the padding materialin order to retain it firmly in the desired position if necessary.

After the padded backing sheet has thus been embossed a sectionv of fabric finish material 23 is stretched over the padded backing sheet and the marginal edges 24 thereof may be bent around and adhesively secured to thewrear side of the backing sheet I0. This fabric nish material preferably has the surface thereof sprayed with a light coating of'adhesive prior to application to the padded backing sheet in order that it will be adhesively secured to the padding material throughout the entire surface of the trim panel.. v Afterrthe marginal edges of the fabric finish material have been secured to the backing sheet the trim panel is again placed in the press and the ram of thel press serves toconform the fabric nish material to substantially the configuration of the padding material and at the same time serves to tension the fabric finish material over the surface of the trim panel. The adhesive covered surface of the fabric finish material Will thus be retained in .position closely adjacent the padding material and the decorative effects which have been produced in the padding material will thus be lbrought out in the-,completed trim panel as a whole.A

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the above described process provides an extremely simple and convenient method of manufacturing inner trim panels and the above described methodhasbeen found extremely satisfactory for commercial production. y l

In the modified form of the invention yillustrated in Fig. 5 a section of padding material 25 is uniformly adhesively secured to a backing sheet 2,199,918 .y i i vto that shownin Figure 2 and described above `26. vThe padding material is then impregnated i with latex or similar adhesive material throughout the portions thereof which are to be em,` bossed. A section of fabrcnish material 21is sprayed with a light coating of adhesive stretched 5' over the surface of the padded backing sheet and has its marginal edges 28 adhesively secured .to the `rear side of the backing sheetZ.v The trim. panel as a Whole is then placed in a press "similar l0 and the padding and fabric nish material are embossed atV the same time in one operation.

`The latex with which 'the padding material has'` .material 33 is applied to the padded backing sheet.,

in substantially the manner described above and the trim panel as a Whole embossed by means :of a diesuch as is shown in Figure v2 thus simultaff. neously deiflbrrning 'the' fabric finish' material; and padding material throughout the predeteV y mined desired areas in order to obtain thedesired. 30. embossed decorative effects.y The padding mag; Y.

terial and fabric finish material Will berretainedin embossed condition bymeans of therelatively heavy layer of adhesive r'nateriall 3l l and the trim panel thus producedhas been found to be extremely satisfactory. It will be rea dilyunf; derstood that the. method:,describedaboye an disclosed in Figure 6, of the drawing is substanjfi.

tially similar to thepreferredembodiment of the;k invention except that only lone embossingopera-l tion is necessary.' v f l protective strips of paper togthe surface of said padding material in the areas thereof adjacent; the areas to which said adhesive ghas been ap-yk plied to said backing sheet/ and embossing :said padding material beforesaid adhesive Ahas ..ls,et.y whereby said adhesive Will retain the padding-in'. embossed condition. y i

ANDREW J. JARosI 

